Pumpkin Evergold, £2.69 (6 seeds): Fruits appear golden from the beginning, turning to deep orange on maturity in time for Halloween carving and cooking. Harvest August-October.

Pea Eddy, £1.99 (300 seeds): Highly resistant to powdery mildew, remaining problem-free well into November – can be sown as late as the first week of August. Also sow in spring for summer crops of long, slightly curved, pointed pods. Harvest May-September.

Chinese Cabbage Natsuki F1, £2.99 (30 seeds): A multipurpose variety with good bolting and tip burn resistance. Young leaves can be used in salads and stir-fries in as little as seven weeks from sowing. The crisp white stalks have a mild flavour and should be eaten with the leaf for zero wastage in the kitchen. Harvest June-October.

Broad bean Oscar. Picture; Thompson & Morgan

Tomato Artisan Mix. Picture; Thompson & Morgan

Kale Duo Collection. Picture; Thompson & Morgan

Broad Bean Oscar, £1.99 (60 beans): These beans are the best option for freezer storage, being far less prone to discolouring. Compact plants with upright pods grow well in patio containers and small veg patches. Harvest June-August.

Kale Duo Collection, £2.99 (20 seeds): The ruffled leaves of Emerald Ice develop a contrasting white centre as they mature and have the sweetest flavour, even the leaf stalks. Midnight Sun has textured, deep-red leaves with a striking mid-vein. Suitable for multiple cuts, baby kale leaf and as a mature plant. Harvest October-April.

Climbing Bean Mamba, £2.49 (45 beans): Trial crops have consistently produced double the yield of Cobra, with no reduction in flavour or pod quality. Mamba’s mid-green, stringless pods are larger, more uniform and carried in clusters for easy picking. Plants are slightly less vigorous than Cobra, but this is a bonus – growth is more manageable, taking up less space. Harvest June-October.

Tomato Goldkrone, 99p (12 seeds): Early fruiting – set out under glass for an extra early crop of sweet yellow cherry tomatoes, or grow in the garden for guaranteed cropping before the cold weather sets in. Each fruit weighs up to 20g, offering, high sweetness, a juicy texture and balanced flavour. Harvest July-October.

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Mandy Watson is a freelance journalist and an incurable plantaholic. MandyCanUDigIt grew from the tiny seed of a Twitter account into the rainforest of information you see before you. Gardening columnist for the Sunderland Echo, Shields Gazette and Hartlepool Mail and editor of the Teesdale Mercury Magazine. Attracted by anything rebellious, exotic and nerdy, even after all these years. Passionate about northern England and gardens everywhere. Falls over a lot.

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Mandy Watson is a freelance journalist and plantaholic with roots firmly planted in working-class NE England. MandyCanUDigIt grew from the tiny seed of a Twitter account into this rainforest of information. JPIMedia gardening columnist and Teesdale Mercury Magazine editor. Garden Media Guild and NUJ member. Mission statement: to make gardening more accessible to the often excluded - the less able, the hard-up or beginners. Advocate of gardening for better mental health.